More User Reviews:

I miss drinkin the Excelsior series back in western NY.Poured into an oversized wine glass a hazed peach color with a tight very well defined white head atop,a few chunkies and floaties after a hard pour.This is the most hopped up wheatwine I have come across aroma-wise,boozy with drunken fruit mixed with a healthy dose of citric hops.Big and boozy on the palate,drunken peaches and madarin oranges,the mandarin oranges a really big,citric and somewhat resiny hops make their presence felt but are overshadowed by the boozy fruit.I pick up a little vanilla as the beer warms adding to its complexity.Another great Ithaca beer,they make some top notch stuff.

Had on 2-1-13. L: Pours hazy peach amber under a 2” finely bubbled white foam collar that slowly recedes while hugging the glass.
S: Fruit, citrus, lemon and light hop aromas.
T: Has a fruity sweetness that is subtle and not overdone with improving and more assertive flavors as it warms. There is an interesting blend of wheat and malt flavors in the background.
F: Rich and creamy, medium full body and medium carbonation. Very soft in the mouth.
O: This is one of those one time beers that the brewer should do again.

Pours a hazy golden color with a slightly off-white head that leaves solid lacing.

Smells of light malts with large amounts of citrus and tropical fruit hops. Also lurking in the background are lighter amounts of herbal hops and light wheat.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though the hops are a bit more restrained. Crisp light malts with hints of wheat twang up front are joined quickly by smooth tropical fruit hops. Midway through the hops turn slightly more bitter with the addition of heavy citrus and herbal hops that carry through to a moderately bitter ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall this was another very good beer showcasing the Citra hop. Well worth a shot if you can find it.

Appearance: A nice hazy dark lemon peel color, or a darker peach color, depending on the light. A lot of bubbly bright white lacing that stays above the body of the brew for a long time, with bubbles almost never dissipating, and there's nice drop-like retention around the bulb of the glass.

Smell: A huge blast of fruit and hops. A lot of lemon peel comes out first, along with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. But there's a good amount of orange and mango to balance things out. An almost lighter and airy wheat malt sweetness, along with some vanilla, seems to waft above everything, but the pungent strength of citrus and fruit dominate, and do it pretty gracefully.

Taste: Heavy, heavy bitterness from the hops initially, but as it warms, this becomes, as I said before, graceful, and you have a lightness and finishing sweetness of mild vanilla with the wheat finish, which I think adds a lot to this. The mango, lemon, and orange are even more prominent and more balanced here with the hops, but again, and even though they're dominant, there's a nice balance with the softness and vanilla flavors of the wheat coming through, combining for a long, lingering, and fairly dry finish overall.

Mouthfeel: Big in the sense of fullness, though technically it's more medium bodied. That said, there's a champagne-like fineness to the carbonation, and again, a nice softness to the wheat, which of course does a lot for this beer in possibly understated ways.

Drinkability: This style, for me, can sometimes get syrupy or highly unbalanced, and ever the risk takers, Ithaca's done a fantastic job with this in my opinion. Definitely for the hopheads out there (the term "Double Hoppy" they use isn't a falsity), and for those fans of wheat wine and stronger wheat brews. I could see a style like this one that more and more breweries try, and for good reason: there's a lot you can do with it, or that's what I predict. Another pretty awesome brew from Ithaca. Like Weyerbacher, I always look forward to the ongoing numbers in their respective series, and I definitely look forward to Fourteen next year.

Event at Pizza Plant with rep and owner Dan. Orangey appearance with white as snow head. Aroma of citrus, orange blossoms. Creamy mouthfeel. Wild yeast in there making it tasty and satisfying, with hoppyness couched in wheat.I like citra hops and usually sorachi, which worked here with the orange and lemon peel insuring the taste experience is in the wheat and citrus world.

Pours an effervescent honey gold with 3 fingers of cream colored head. Some yeast particles show near the bottom of the bottle. Great head retention & average lacing

S: Citrus in spades, bready notes hiding & emerging once warm

T: Follows the nose pink & regular grapefruit lemons, bready notes, layers of bitterness, you can taste orange & grapefruit peel, all over the place up front. Bready & caramel sweetness fight though the citrus parade as this warms

MF: Medium bodied, chewy, firm carbonation & great balance, some warming sensation comes through once warm. I even get some citrus burn on my lips as well

Super take on the style, artfully executed use of hops & citrus rind. Perfect for a warm spring day, like today. I must get me some more beer from this brewery, they are impressing me so much based on the 3 I've had..

750 ml bottle into a couple of tulip glasses. This was enjoyed in May, 2011.

Pours a clear copper, with a finger of eggshell-white head. This retains with a rich ½ finger cap of creamy froth that stays robust and coats the sides of the glass with thick patchy lacing. The aroma is floral, with notes of spice, zesty rind, and softer fruit flavors, which melds with the crispness of the wheat in the nose. Alcohol is nicely hid in the nose.

The taste starts out with bitter rind and pine flavors that prickle the tongue, balanced by the juicy tropical fruit from those Citra hops. This works for the most part with the firm bready crispness of the wheat. The finish is mostly all dry pithy rind, which sticks to the tongue and lingers for a good while. The mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied, and while initially sharp on the tongue, this does give way to a slick creaminess on the edges that combines with the nearly nonexistent ABV to really makes this drink well for a nearly 10% beer.

This was very smooth and drinkable for a 9% Wheatwine but the flavor profiles just never took off like I thought that they should. I was expecting a lot out of those Citra hops but alas, it wasn’t to be. This is still decent though and I wouldn’t hesitate to grab a bottle and try it for yourself.

Big thanks goes out to my boy, caSSino, for sharing this one during the Upstate-area BA Meetup at RJ Rockers this weekend! Served from bottle into a Duck-Rabbit snifter. Poured a hazy golden yellow with a minimal bone white head. Maintained minimal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, and oak. The flavor was of sweet malt, grapefuit, dark fruit, and oak. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. A Wheatwine!? Really!? If I would have known I would have avoided it, but I'm glad that I did not as this one was pretty good. A very nicely balanced flavor going on here with a great aroma to follow. A definite must try.

Pours a cloudy golden honey color with orange highlights. The head is dense and slowly settles into a chunky lacing. There are a bunch of suspended yeast particles floating about.

The aroma is of fruity hops. Grapefruit and orange bring in the citrus and pineapple notes bring in the tropical fruit aroma. The hop aroma is not super strong but it is pleasant.

The taste is very fruity. Orange notes stand out which is followed by the lemony zing from the sorachi ace hops. The orange and lemon peel support the hops that were used and add some additional bitterness. There is a creamy malt flavor from the wheat and flaked oat. The sweetness is kept in check which is nice considering the fruitiness of the brew.

The feel is moderate with prickly carbonation. Starts sweet on the palate but that gets balanced by a hoppy bitterness that can linger a tad too long.

(750ml bottle sampled at Dak's final four tasting, courtesy of cosmicevan!) Pours a hazy apricot color with a white head Aroma has dried pit fruit, spice and wheat. Taste is sweet malts with some bitterness reminiscent of citrus peel. Medium bodied with a bitter finish. A nice beer!